Legal Ethics

  • August 30, 2024

    Pa. County's Voting Machine Inspections Cost It $1M In Fees

    A Pennsylvania county whose commissioners violated a court order by allowing outside inspectors to access its voting machines should pay Dominion Voting Systems and the Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth more than $1 million in legal fees as part of the state supreme court's sanctions, an appellate judge recommended Friday.

  • August 30, 2024

    Flint Water Firm Wants To Keep PR 'Sideshow' Out Of Trial

    One of the last remaining defendants in Flint water crisis litigation urged a Michigan federal judge to exclude from an upcoming bellwether trial evidence about its public relations efforts, which included an alleged smear campaign against the lawyer for Flint children that led to another attorney getting referred to the California bar.

  • August 30, 2024

    Wheeling & Appealing: The Latest Must-Know Appellate Action

    Appeals courts have awakened from summertime slumber and crammed their early autumn calendars with arguments of national significance, which Law360 previews in this edition of Wheeling & Appealing. We're also recapping August's top appellate decisions, exploring new polling about U.S. Supreme Court opinions and testing your knowledge of Fifth Circuit history.

  • August 30, 2024

    Colo. Immigration Atty Disbarred After Hiding Her Suspension

    A Colorado immigration attorney was disbarred after she filed several documents with immigration authorities while suspended — claiming she was licensed in Nebraska — and appeared before an immigration judge without disclosing her suspension, according to a stipulation to discipline filed Thursday.

  • August 30, 2024

    Danish Gov't Pledges No Ponzi Analogies At $2.1B Tax Trial

    The Danish tax authority won't compare pension funds, investors and attorneys it has accused of defrauding Denmark in a $2.1 billion tax refund scheme to a Ponzi scheme or infamous perpetrator Bernie Madoff, it said Friday in New York federal court.

  • August 30, 2024

    Giuliani Pretends To Live In Fla. To Shield Condo, Suit Says

    The Georgia election workers who secured a $148 million judgment against former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani in D.C. federal court hit him with a new lawsuit Friday, saying he is "pretending" to live in Florida in "a brazen attempt to shield his luxury Palm Beach condo" from them.

  • August 30, 2024

    Conn. Chief Justice Pick Has Already Shaped The Courts

    When Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced that he had selected state Supreme Court Justice Raheem L. Mullins, 46, to serve as chief justice, he highlighted Justice Mullins' seven years of service on the state high court and noted that his nominee has written about 70 majority opinions.

  • August 30, 2024

    More Bias Claims Lobbed At Philly Legal Org, This Time Racial

    A Black former public defender has sued the Defender Association of Philadelphia for racial bias, claiming the organization fired her based on her race and that it treats Black employees differently than White ones.

  • August 30, 2024

    Marketing Company Fights Texas Firm's Deception Claims

    An Oklahoma City legal marketing company has acknowledged in a court filing that it uses trademarks associated with a Texas lawyer in its online keyword advertising, but it said the practice is lawful and that the Texas lawyer waited too long to complain and hasn't shown actual harm from it.

  • August 30, 2024

    Another Biz Owner Called To Appear In Judge's Patent Probe

    U.S. District Judge Colm F. Connolly has ordered the owner of another business affiliated with patent litigation funding outfit IP Edge and its affiliate Mavexar to appear before him amid his probe into possible fraud he says may have been perpetrated on the Delaware federal court in certain infringement cases.

  • August 30, 2024

    Va. US Atty To Resign As Wife Assumes Judgeship

    U.S. Attorney Chris Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia has announced that he will step down from his role at the end of the year as his wife, Jasmine Hyejung Yoon, was confirmed to a federal judgeship in that district.

  • August 30, 2024

    Trump's Bid To Move Hush Money Case Could Backfire

    Donald Trump's renewed bid to persuade a federal court to intervene in the Manhattan district attorney's hush money prosecution faces slim odds and could ultimately be deemed a frivolous filing that exposes his attorneys to potential sanctions, experts told Law360.

  • August 30, 2024

    Ex-DOJ Atty Clark Says New Trump Indictment Bolsters Case

    Special counsel Jack Smith's superseding indictment of former President Donald Trump over his attempts to overturn the 2020 election sets a new precedent that should end ethics charges leveled against Trump administration Department of Justice attorney Jeffrey Clark, according to Clark's latest arguments.

  • August 30, 2024

    Sills Cummis, CohnReznick Sued Over Client's $2M Bill

    A New Jersey man has claimed law firm Sills Cummis & Gross PC and accounting firm CohnReznick LLP padded his bills for services they rendered, which reached nearly $2 million, according to a lawsuit filed in state court.

  • August 30, 2024

    Firm Accused Of Botching Arbitration In Tribal Lending Row

    Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP and one of its former attorneys have been hit with a California federal court suit accusing them of negligence in their representation of a consulting business and its president in a 2018 arbitration they say caused them at least $17.5 million in damages.

  • August 30, 2024

    Texas Lawyers Can Get Paid By Non-Attys For Presentations

    Texas lawyers may accept payments from nonlawyer third-party companies for creating educational materials on general legal topics that don't constitute legal advice, according to a new ethics opinion from the Texas Bar's Professional Ethics Committee.

  • August 29, 2024

    Tesla, Elon Musk Beat Dogecoin Buyers' Fraud Suit, For Good

    A New York federal judge on Thursday for the final time threw out a contentious lawsuit brought by Dogecoin investors accusing Elon Musk of manipulating the market so that he and Tesla could turn a profit on the meme-themed cryptocurrency.

  • August 29, 2024

    'You Don't Need To Be Obnoxious': Ch. 11 Hearing Gets Rowdy

    A California bankruptcy judge on Thursday slammed an attorney for what he called her "obnoxious" courtroom behavior, while the lawyer argued that a proposed liquidation plan for a defunct law firm could enrich the professionals managing the case and leave little for claimants.

  • August 29, 2024

    Samsung Nabs Costs After Beating Staton Techiya IP Case

    A Texas federal judge on Thursday awarded Samsung $108,674 in court costs stemming from a patent infringement suit filed by the company's former in-house patent attorneys — a case he tossed earlier this year based on unclean hands — and asked for more information on costs still in dispute.

  • August 29, 2024

    Philly Legal Org. Must Face Atty's EEOC Bias Suit At Trial

    A Pennsylvania federal judge declined Thursday to side with either party on the core claims in a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit alleging a Philadelphia legal services organization fired an attorney who asked for more medical leave, ruling that the case is best fit for trial.

  • August 29, 2024

    Judiciary Group Urged To Table 'Mega' Bankruptcy Panel Ban

    A subcommittee urged the Judicial Conference's bankruptcy rule advisory committee to hold off on considering a ban on so-called mega bankruptcy panels at an upcoming meeting, saying a different committee's work overlaps with a rule proposed to curb the controversial practice.

  • August 29, 2024

    Burke Warren Nixed WFH Request, Violating ADA, Suit Says

    A former legal assistant at Burke Warren MacKay & Serritella PC has sued the firm for disability discrimination in Illinois federal court, saying he was illegally fired rather than accommodated when his cancer treatment led him to ask for a permanent work-from-home schedule.

  • August 29, 2024

    Ill. Judge Overrules Dismissal For 6 Paraquat Cases

    An Illinois federal judge on Wednesday declined to dismiss several cases in multidistrict litigation over the herbicide paraquat, finding that even though counsel didn't fill out questionnaires on time, it was because he was left the sole attorney in the firm after others quit.

  • August 29, 2024

    Texas Justices Sign Off On Attorney Ethics Rule Changes

    The Texas Supreme Court has adopted a number of amendments and new professional conduct rules for lawyers practicing in the Lone Star State, including some that address the duties of a managing partner or supervising attorney and an attorney's responsibilities to prospective clients.

  • August 29, 2024

    Feds Say Ex-BigLaw Atty Can't Shake OneCoin Conviction

    Federal prosecutors have told the Second Circuit that former Locke Lord LLP partner Mark S. Scott has "greatly exaggerate[d]" the importance of testimony from a government witness, some of which was later shown to be perjury, in a bid to have his money laundering conviction reversed.

Expert Analysis

  • Surveying Legislative Trends As States Rush To Regulate AI

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    With Congress unlikely to pass comprehensive artificial intelligence legislation any time soon, just four months into 2024, nearly every state has introduced legislation aimed at the development and use of AI on subjects from algorithmic discrimination risk to generative AI disclosures, say David Kappos and Sasha Rosenthal-Larrea at Cravath.

  • How Duty Of Candor Figures In USPTO AI Ethics Guidance

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    The duty of candor and good faith is an important part of the artificial intelligence ethics guidance issued last week by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and serious consequences can visit patent and trademark applicants who violate that duty, not just their attorneys and agents, says Michael Cicero at Taylor English.

  • Series

    Whitewater Kayaking Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Whether it's seeing clients and their issues from a new perspective, or staying nimble in a moment of intense challenge, the lessons learned from whitewater kayaking transcend the rapids of a river and prepare attorneys for the courtroom and beyond, says Matthew Kent at Alston & Bird.

  • This Earth Day, Consider How Your Firm Can Go Greener

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    As Earth Day approaches, law firms and attorneys should consider adopting more sustainable practices to reduce their carbon footprint — from minimizing single-use plastics to purchasing carbon offsets for air travel — which ultimately can also reduce costs for clients, say M’Lynn Phillips and Lisa Walters at IMS Legal Strategies.

  • Weisselberg's Perjury At Trial Spotlights Atty Ethics Issues

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    Former Trump Organization executive Allen Weisselberg’s recent guilty plea for perjury in the New York attorney general's civil fraud trial should serve as a reminder to attorneys of their ethical duties when they know a client has lied or plans to lie in court, and the potential penalties for not fulfilling those obligations, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.

  • Practicing Law With Parkinson's Disease

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    This Parkinson’s Awareness Month, Adam Siegler at Greenberg Traurig discusses his experience working as a lawyer with Parkinson’s disease, sharing both lessons on how to cope with a diagnosis and advice for supporting colleagues who live with the disease.

  • Why Incorporating By Reference Is Rarely Good Practice

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    The Federal Circuit’s recent ruling in Promptu Systems v. Comcast serves as a reminder that while incorporating by reference may seem efficient, it is generally prohibited by courts and can lead to sanctions when used to bypass a word count limit, says Cullen Seltzer at Sands Anderson.

  • Series

    Playing Hockey Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Nearly a lifetime of playing hockey taught me the importance of avoiding burnout in all aspects of life, and the game ultimately ended up providing me with the balance I needed to maintain success in my legal career, says John Riccione at Taft.

  • For Lawyers, Pessimism Should Be A Job Skill, Not A Life Skill

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    A pessimistic mindset allows attorneys to be effective advocates for their clients, but it can come with serious costs for their personal well-being, so it’s crucial to exercise strategies that produce flexible optimism and connect lawyers with their core values, says Krista Larson at Stinson.

  • Trump's NY Civil Fraud Trial Spotlights Long-Criticized Law

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    A New York court’s recent decision holding former President Donald Trump liable for fraud brought old criticisms of the state law used against him back into the limelight — including its strikingly broad scope and its major departures from the traditional elements of common law fraud, say Mark Kelley and Lois Ahn at MoloLamken.

  • Opinion

    Requiring Leave To File Amicus Briefs Is A Bad Idea

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    A proposal to amend the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure that would require parties to get court permission before filing federal amicus briefs would eliminate the long-standing practice of consent filing and thereby make the process less open and democratic, says Lawrence Ebner at the Atlantic Legal Foundation and DRI Center.

  • 4 Ways To Motivate Junior Attorneys To Bring Their Best

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    As Gen Z and younger millennial attorneys increasingly express dissatisfaction with their work and head for the exits, the lawyers who manage them must understand and attend to their needs and priorities to boost engagement and increase retention, says Stacey Schwartz at Katten.

  • Series

    Serving As A Sheriff's Deputy Made Me A Better Lawyer

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    Skills developed during my work as a reserve deputy — where there was a need to always be prepared, decisive and articulate — transferred to my practice as an intellectual property litigator, and my experience taught me that clients often appreciate and relate to the desire to participate in extracurricular activities, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.

  • Former Minn. Chief Justice Instructs On Writing Better Briefs

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    Former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, now at Greenberg Traurig, offers strategies on writing more effective appellate briefs from her time on the bench.

  • Stay Interviews Are Key To Retaining Legal Talent

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    Even as the economy shifts and layoffs continue, law firms still want to retain their top attorneys, and so-called stay interviews — informal conversations with employees to identify potential issues before they lead to turnover — can be a crucial tool for improving retention and morale, say Tina Cohen Nicol and Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey.

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